Revolution
by dabooton
Summary: "Someone's sending us to different points in time, all with two central themes: revolution and war." The Doctor turns to the young girl. "And Josephine, you are the key." Well, this is unexpected. Rated T for violence and mild language.
1. Joey

**A/N: Hello! Welcome to my story. I'm dabooton, and I'll try to update as fast as I can. I hope you enjoy the fic. If you don't, that's fine, too. Either way, be sure to review so I can get better! Happy reading!**

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To some, the city can be a wondrous place, full of excitement and opportunities. To others, at least to people who know what's good for them, it is the bottom of a pit. Such as in the case of eighteen year old Josephine Isabella Reginald - Joey for short.

Nicholas Reginald is a British immigrant and Joey's father. He lives off of alcohol, and he always has a couple of pints of whiskey or vodka on his person. Joey sneaks in and out of the house, hoping not to invoke his drunken wrath.

Joey seeks shelter from her father in one place: the local theater. She also managed to get a job at the concert hall aiding the sound technicians. On stage, there's a grand piano they use for orchestras. Joey stays after work until she's sure everyone's gone. She then sits down at the piano and plays alone. The music emanates throughout the hall, heard only by the piano's player. At least, that's what she thinks.

There's this boy that has a crush on her, his name is Derek. He also works in the concert hall as an assistant to the sound techs. He's a pre-med student at the local university, about nineteen to twenty years old. He doesn't live here. He doesn't know what it's like to fear for your life every day. He's secure on campus. In a way, Joey kind of envies him. He's always so bright, happy, and funny. Cute, too. He's got light brown hair, blue eyes, a bit of stubble, and freckles on his face. Oh, but he's too naive. Derek's been sheltered his entire life; Joey hasn't. They're foils to each other. She doesn't know what he sees in her. Frankly, it weirds her out. But Joey doesn't know that when she plays piano at work, Derek sits outside the stage door, listening to her play.

One night, as she's playing the piano as usual, she hears this warping, wooshing sound - it almost sounds like it comes from another world. _The damn speakers are malfunctioning again, aren't they?_, she figures. She resumes playing, until she hears the footsteps of three people approaching, abruptly stopping her music and hiding behind a curtain.

"She's usually here at night, playing piano. She was just here." Joey hears Derek say to someone. He listens to me. _Derek, you creepy bastard_, she gripes.

"Where is she?" She hears an older man ask. About thirty years old. British, too, she deduces from his accent.

"Doctor, we need to find her. We have to talk to her." A younger woman says. Also British. _Oh great, they've sent in the therapists again. Better confront them. _ "Your wife sent us."

"For the last time, I don't need your help. I'm fine." Joey steps out from behind the curtain. The man his assistant had called "Doctor" steps forward and sticks out his hand.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor! Just the Doctor. And you're Joey Oswald!" He enthusiastically exclaims, shaking Joey's hand a little bit too animatedly. _Oh God, he's like Derek. Excited about every goddamn thing. Why would he be excited about me? I'm no one special._

"How the hell do you know my name?" Joey asks, pulling away.

"Wibbly wobbly timey wimey." The strange man replies.

"Huh." _He's nuts._

"No time to explain, I need you and your little friend here to come with my companion and me. Quickly, now!"

"Why should I trust you?" Joey questions harshly. The Doctor's companion grabs her by the shoulders and pulls Joey down to her level. She's much shorter than Joey, by about six inches.

"Listen, Joey. You need to trust us on this. We've been sent on a mission to get you." She says.

"Who sent you? I'm not going to run away with two lunatics that I just met."

"My, my, my. Persistent, are we? We're going to have to earn your trust, right?"

"I don't trust anyone. Period."

"Not even me? You can trust me. I'm a Doctor." The Doctor asks.

"I am highly doubtful you have a degree of any sort, sir." Joey replies, folding her arms.

"Well. Someone's sassy." The Doctor humphs and adjusts his bowtie. _Bowties went out of style decades ago. Someone's awkward,_ Joey retorts in her head. "Anyway, it is imperative that you come with us. A friend of mine, who knows you very, very well, sent my companion Clara and I to fetch you and your boyfriend here."

"One, he's not my boyfriend," Joey replies, hearing Derek sadly sigh in the background. "Two, fine. I'll go with you. If you try and hurt me, good luck. I'll hurt you more than you'll ever know."

"Alright, tough girl. We'll see how tough you really are." The short girl, Clara, snaps irritably. _Got you mad now, haven't I? Good. Then you'll leave me alone. _There's a long, tense moment of silence until the Doctor awkwardly coughs and leads the three of them out the stage door into a nearby alleyway. Joey clenches her fists, Clara glares at her, and Derek and the Doctor are, to their dismay, caught in the middle. The Doctor leads them to a slightly worn, out of place blue box in the middle of the alleyway.

"Now, this blue police box is my TARDIS. It stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. It's my time machine." He explains, gesturing to the strange box. Time machine? What kind of drugs are you on?, Joey wonders as she eyes the strange Doctor warily. The Doctor opens the door, lets them in, and amazingly, it's bigger on the inside.

"It's a tiny box on the outside, but it's bigger on the inside. How-?" Derek wonders aloud. He touches the wall of the room to make sure it's real and not an optical illusion of some sort.

"It's dimensionally transcendental. It exists on two different dimensions." The Doctor replies. Derek opens his mouth to talk, but the Doctor places his hand over the young man's mouth. "Don't dwell upon it too much. Gallifreyan technology. If I told you the exact mechanics of it, you might blow your brains out."

It's like a whole world inside of the TARDIS. Joey and Derek can see doors that lead to deep corridors and strange circular markings above the control panel. The two of them walk around the control panel in awe, wondering what each button and knob and valve does. They can't see to wrap their minds around it.

"Hey, Joey." Derek nudges the younger girl's shoulder.

"What?" She replies, though not with her usual bitter tone. To his surprise, she was being gentler. She was too busy dwelling upon this wonderful box.

"You have a nice smile." He smirks, like he always does when he attempts to flirt with her. "It's the first time I've ever seen you smile." He could barely see it, but he could see on Joey's face the subtlest little smile. Her dimples were a dead giveaway.

"Shut up, loverboy." The girl replies.

"Not a chance."

"I'm glad you're happy for once."

"I'm kind of glad, too."

"Enough with the flirting, you two." The Doctor rolls his eyes in disgust, even though these two young adults, just barely past their childhood in his mind, reminded him just a little bit of his himself and his wife. He could see a little bit of himself in both the boy and girl, and he could say the same for River. An Clara, too, he supposes. For some reason, he sees a lot on Clara in this girl, Joey. He pulls himself out of his thoughts and claps his hands. "Now, off to our first destination!"

"Where? Are you going to take us away?" Joey asks with excitement. Her enthusiasm surprises everyone; she's not the grumpy, irritable girl they had met a few minutes ago. For once, Joey's excited for something. "I want to get out of here. Take us anywhere but here."

"Well, then, Joey," The Doctor ruffles the girl's hair. "You're in luck. Our first destination – Paris, France, the year 1832. Geronimo!"


	2. Do You Hear The People Sing?

**A/N: Hello! Welcome to the second chapter of my fic! So here's the deal. While I was planning out this fic, I saw Les Miserables and I said, "Hey! It fits with the theme. Why not incorporate it into my fic?" And thus, this chapter was born. Don't forget to rate and review! Happy reading**

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The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors and motioned for his three companions to come outside. They were in a graveyard of some sort in the outskirts of the French city. The stench was overpowering, a mixture of animals, smoke, and misery. They must have landed near the slums, because to their left and right there were men, women, and children in dirty, tattered clothing. Paris so far looked like a mess. Not unlike home, Joey thinks.

"June 5th, 1832. The day of the failed June Rebellion, which inspired the novel _Les Miserables._ She sent us here first… but why?" The Doctor muses as they walk into the city itself. The four of them were dressed in typical 19th century get-up. "We're on an undercover mission," The Doctor had said.

"Doctor, what did River say to do?" Clara asked. The Doctor shrugs his shoulders.

"This note," He pulls out a small piece of paper. "only gave me four sets of coordinates and where they lead. That's all."

"Weird." Clara mutters.

"Who's River?" Joey asks, confused.

"My wife." The Doctor simply replies.

"You have a wife?"

"It's complicated. I think we have to find her here." He says. The four of them walk into the center of the city, hoping to at least get a clue as to what to do. The people of Paris seem like they're waiting for something to happen, something big. In the square, they see some young students, around Joey and Derek's age, rallying the poor to revolt. However, the four time travelers sadly knew that this was to be in vain. The students are waving two flags: the French flag and a plain red flag.

"This is unbelievable. It's like I'm in the middle of the book." Derek gasps, astounded.

"This is...awesome." Joey nods in reply.

"Hm?" The Doctor turns to the two kids.

"_Les Mis_ is my favorite story of all time." Joey explains, shrugging her shoulders.

"Why is that?" Derek asks.

"It's realistic. You can relate to it." The girl replies, breaking away from her group of time travelers.

"Wh-Where are you going? Don't wander off!" The Doctor demanded. Joey throws a hand up as she walks away.

"I'm gonna explore. Take it easy. I might find your wife, too." She says. The stunned moment, and Derek runs after her so that she might be kept safe. Not that she needs protection, the boy supposed as he searched for her in the crowd of people. It wasn't hard - she was tall for a woman, especially in this time period. The Doctor and Clara try to find the two of them, spotting them in the mass of revolutionaries gathered in the town square. They catch up to them and grab their shoulders.

"We're going to let you explore, but listen. One, if you meet any historical figures, don't tell them anything about their future. Two, don't try to change history. You both know how this revolution ends. Leave it be. Stay safe and out of the gunfire. Once you hear gunshots, find us." The Doctor murmurs so that only the four of them could hear what he says.

"Why not?" Joey stubbornly asks.

"Because the death of all these people, it's a fixed point in time. If you mess with a fixed point, serious consequences can occur. I mean it." The Doctor says sternly.

"So we basically sit and do nothing?" Derek hisses.

"Basically." The Time Lord sadly replies. He pats the two children (well, they're children in his eyes) on the heads and put his face closer to theirs. "If you need us or if you happen to find my wife, we'll be walking around researching. My wife has curly blonde hair, a rebellious streak, and says 'Hello Sweetie' and 'Spoilers' a lot. Her name is River Song. She stands out in a crowd, I think. Good luck." He and Clara walk away, leaving Joey and Derek to themselves.

"So...where shall we go first?" Derek asks, bending his arm so that Joey could (hopefully) interlock her arm with his. She pushes his arm away.

"No." She says. "Maybe we should go to one of these revolutionary meetings. We can find out exactly what's going on around here and the Doctor said his wife had a rebellious streak, right? Maybe she's there. There were a bunch of secret societies at this time. They were the ones who provoked the rebellion."

"Like in the book? The Friends of the ABC, right?"

"The Friends of the ABC weren't real, but they were meant to be a sub-section of the Rights of Man Society, which was - is - a real group. I think we should go to them."

"Quite the history buff, are we now?" Derek smirks. Joey shrugs.

"After I read the book freshman year of high school, I did some research on how the real life revolution turned out. Not much better. Everyone still dies." She replies and turns to him and smiles. "Don't judge a girl on how she looks. I know a lot of things, I do."

"Look at you, quoting the musical."

"They performed it in our theater once, remember?"

"Yeah." Derek stares at her and smiles.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just glad you're talking to me now."

"Shut up."

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Clara walk around, hoping to find a clue as to where River is, or if they're lucky, River herself. There's a deadly epidemic going on in this time period, so they hope that River's alright. They wander around the market, thinking of places where the Doctor's wife could possibly be.

"Why do you think she sent us here?" Clara asks, buying some fruit from one of the vendors.

"I don't know. It has something to do with those two kids, though. I'm sure of it." The Doctor replies as he hands a young street urchin an apple, much to the child's delight.

"They're not kids. The boy's twenty years old."

"Please. I'm a Time Lord. They're like infants to me." Clara rolls her eyes. The Doctor inspects the list of coordinates again. "All of these coordinates lead to revolutions of some sort. What is River trying to tell us?"

"When we find her, we'll ask." Clara says. A pause. "What do you think about Joey?"

"She's a bit grumpy, but I think she's hiding something under that rough exterior. We'll get her out of her shell. How about you? What do you think about her?" The Doctor asks as they sit on a nearby bench.

"I don't really like her. She's very pessimistic and arrogant." Clara replies.

"Yes, but she's a teenager. It's common."

"That's no excuse."

"I have a feeling she's going to change on this journey with us. Slowly but surely." The Doctor nods his head. Their conversation is interrupted by shouts and chanting coming from the center of town, where a group of revolutionaries are rioting. The Doctor and Clara head over there to investigate, and to their surprise, Derek is in the midst of the crowd, rioting with them. However, Joey is nowhere in sight.

"Derek! Derek!" The Doctor and Clara call out in hopes that the young man would hear them, but to no avail. The revolutionaries chant "Vive la France!" as a casket passes them and Derek seems as if he's looking for Joey as well. The Doctor and his companion push through the crowd and grab Derek.

"Where's Joey?! I told you not to get involved!" The Doctor yells. He pulls Derek and Clara out of the crowd and into a nearby alleyway.

"I don't know. We went to go see the Rights of Man Society; you said your wife had a rebellious streak, so we figured she could be hanging around with the revolutionaries. We went there are they pulled me into their meeting while they told Joey to leave because she's a woman. I don't know where she is, but I've been looking everywhere for her. Knowing her, she isn't one to stay away from the action, so I figured I would stay with the Rights of Man so that she can find me. Please help me, Doctor, I'm so scared for her." Derek explains, out of breath. They see the revolutionaries move somewhere, taking the casket with them. "General Lamarque's casket. They're taking it to the Bastille, and to my understanding, they'll be heading to the barricades from there."

"Right. We should start searching for Joey before the fighting starts." The Doctor said. Just then, they heard the sound of gunfire coming from nearby. "Speak of the devil."

"Joey!" Derek runs off towards the fighting, leaving The Doctor and Clara to run after him. The boy runs out of sight, as The Doctor and Clara are trapped in the middle of the fighting.

"We need to take shelter!" Clara exclaims as both sides reload their muskets. They spot two columns nearby, and they quickly between them. To their surprise, there is a man also taking shelter from the gunfire.

"Oh, good monsieur and good mademoiselle! Are you seeking shelter from the fighting as well?" The man asks. He bows and holds out his hand to shake. "Excuse my manners. My name is Victor Hugo. I am an author."

"Victor Hugo! Big fan of your work. It's a pleasure meeting you." The Doctor cheerfully says, enthusiastically shaking the author's hand. "I'm the Doctor, and this is my companion Clara. Clara, Victor Hugo. Victor Hugo, Clara." More gunshots ring out, making the three of them flinch.

"We might be here for a while. Might as well make ourselves comfortable." The author says. "You know, this would make a really good novel. Perhaps one day…"

Meanwhile, Derek runs through the streets of Paris, searching for Joey. _ If she's hurt, or worse, dead, I'll never forgive myself. I'm the one who let her wander off. I should've gone after her. God, I'm so stupid,_ he gripes. After being shot at multiple times (being an honorary member of the Rights of Man didn't help at all), he decides to take shelter behind a barricade, with some of the people that he met at the meeting. There was a young man around his age; his name is Alphonse. Derek decides to stick with him. He seems to be friendly. At the meeting, Derek had introduced himself as 'Marius'; the name 'Derek,' he figures, isn't common in this time period. It was the only name he could think of. _Les Miserables_ hasn't been published yet – no one would know.

"Here you go, Marius. You know how to fire a musket?" Alphonse hands Derek a rifle as they lean against the barricade made of various pieces of furniture. Derek pushes away the weapon, shaking his head.

"I haven't the faintest idea. I study medicine, though; I can be your medic." Derek says. The Doctor said I can't change the future. But what's a couple of lives? I can't just sit around, the revolutionary in disguise thinks to himself, preparing bandages made of shirts and grabbing bottles of whiskey for disinfectant. As he's preparing these items, he notices a young boy climbing over the barricade, also seeking shelter.

"My name is Jean. I've come to help. Vive la France!" He says.

"Welcome to the revolution, my boy. Grab a gun." Alphonse greets, handing him a pistol. _ He looks familiar_, Derek notices. He edges closer to the boy, to see that 'Jean' really isn't a man at all – it's Joey. He takes her aside and glares at her. "Joey, I've been looking everywhere for you. Where the hell have you been?!"

"Oh, you know, getting a new outfit." Joey simply replies, fiddling with the pistol. "How the hell do I work this?"

"Don't. Take cover. I don't want you getting hurt." Derek hisses, taking the pistol away from her.

"Derek Matthews, you know me. I can handle this."

"Josephine Reginald, of course I know you. You're one of the toughest girls I know. But this is something different. This is war."

"I could do it."

"Be rational. I know you're tough; you don't have to prove it."

"No one tells me that I'm too weak just because I'm a woman." Joey gestures to the revolutionaries behind her.

"C'mon. Cut it out. We need to find –" Derek pleas are interrupted by the sounds of the revolutionaries reloading their muskets. "I was going to say The Doctor and/or his wife, but cover works fine, too."

"Take aim…" Alphonse commands. The men ready their muskets. "Fire!"

The men fire their guns, and immediately, people fall. Desperate cries of "Medic! Medic!" are heard, and for some, they were dead before they even hit the ground. Frantically, Derek attempts to get tend to each of the wounded as Joey assists him, but most of the time, his efforts are futile. That day, they only managed to save five people. The rest of the wounded had fatal injuries that makeshift bandages and whiskey could not fix. The most that the two of them could do was to comfort each dying man as they breathe their last breaths. At the end of the day, it is nighttime and the men of the barricade prepare for the battle next day – a battle that Derek and Joey know that they will lose. As Alphonse take watch, Joey and Derek sit against the barricade, unwilling to sleep.

"You okay?" Derek rasps. He's both physically and emotionally exhausted.

"Yeah. I'm always okay. I'm the queen of okay." Joey replies.

"Good." The older boy places his head in his hands. There's a moment of silence.

"What about you? You look far from okay." Joey whispers.

"Well, you're right. I just…" He places his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. "Seeing all those people dying and having to be the one to watch them die and not being able to do anything about it… I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before. In school, we've dissected cadavers before and took first aid classes, but I wasn't prepared to have my hands soaked in another man's blood or to have someone die in my arms." He gives a weak smile. "So Josephine, that is why I'm not okay."

"Derek, I-" Joey stops herself before she completes her sentence.

"You were going to tell me to be tougher, weren't you?"

"That's not what-" Joey stops herself. _Best not to lie_, she groans in her head. Another wave of silence falls over the two of them. They leave themselves to their thoughts, contemplating on the day's events and each other. Joey decides to break the awkward silence. "We need to get out of this barricade before dawn, before we get ourselves killed."

"No." Derek mutters.

"Excuse me?"

"No. They need me." Derek answers, curling up against the barricade. "I can't abandon them."

"You heard what the Doctor said; the failure of this revolution is a fixed point in time. We can't mess with it either way." Joey argues as she forcibly pulls Derek up to his feet.

"Since when are you one for following instructions?" Derek bitterly asks. Joey, taken aback by the older boy's unusual irritability, hesitates to reply.

"Look, Derek. I don't like seeing you like this. As much as you're a pain in the ass most of the time, this moody side of you makes me uncomfortable. Be happy again. Please?" Pleads Joey. Derek studies her for a while, and gives her a slight smirk.

"Then you don't know me, Josephine. I'm not happy all the time. You're not the only one who has it hard, you know."

"Please. You've got it all." Joey scoffs. Derek ruffles her hair and walks away.

"Not exactly. We'll talk about it later, okay? Right now, whatever you do isn't going to convince me to leave. I'm not one to turn my back on people that need me. So you can either leave and find the Doctor and Clara yourself, or stay with me; your pick." He gathers his supplies and starts up a conversation with Alphonse, leaving Joey to contemplate on that strange, annoying boy.

After the gunfire had ceased for a short while, the Doctor, Clara, and Victor emerged from their hiding spot and took shelter in an abandoned apothecary. The owners of the shop must have joined the revolution. The Doctor looks out the window and sees a couple of revolutionaries carry their dead away. They must be on the rebels' side of the barricade. He looks to Victor and Clara, who are having an animated discussion about soufflés. _Apparently Victor Hugo is quite the fan of baked goods_, the Doctor ponders amusedly. He then worries about the two kids – where are they now? They could be dead, for all he knows. The Doctor hopes they are somewhere safe, preferably away from the barricades. _If they are near the barricades, they better get out of there before the fighting resumes tomorrow morning,_ he hopes. Himself, Joey, Derek, and Clara all know how this revolution ends – the Doctor hopes that Derek and Joey are smart enough to realize that. The three apothecary refugees hide behind the shop's counter and rest there for what is left of the night. After Clara and Victor had gone to sleep, the Doctor stayed awake, watching over the two of them and worrying about Joey and Derek.

"Bring them home." He utters in a dry whisper. The Doctor shuts his eyes and finally drifts off to sleep.

Joey decides to stay with Derek, to make sure he doesn't get hurt or worse, killed. She volunteers for watch duty, still under the guise of Jacques. _What the hell happened to 'dog eats dog,' Joey?_ she groans in her head. Why does she abandon her life's philosophy for this strange, annoying boy? Could he be more than just a coworker? Perhaps he's been promoted to a friend of Joey's. She shakes these thoughts off and focuses her attention to the shrouded, hooded figure approaching the barricade. She points a musket at the person (even though she still doesn't know how to work it) and bellows, "Halt! Who goes there?"

"A friend of the Doctor's." The outsider replies – a woman. _Clara? No. That sounds nothing like Clara. She sounds older_. She unveils her hood to reveal a mess of curly, blonde hair. There's a slightly mischievous smile on her lips, which are painted a bright red. The woman has an air of confidence and strength to her, something Joey can feel by just looking at her. _Damn. Talk about what I want to be when I grow up._

"A-Are you his wife? He told us to find you." Joey stutters. The woman laughs and climbs the barricade.

"Dr. River Song, archaeologist. I am indeed the Doctor's wife. I've come here to get you somewhere safe." She explains. "I found a set of coordinates on my desk for my vortex manipulator. I figured they must have been important and I assumed that it was from the Doctor. I materialized in an abandoned apothecary of some sort, and there was the Doctor, waiting for me. Turns out, he was given a set of coordinates for his TARDIS as well, and he thought I had sent those to him."

"So if you didn't send him those coordinates, who –" Their conversation is interrupted by the shouts of men on the other side of the barricade. "The enemy is approaching!" Joey shouts. She leaps off of the top of the barricade and grabs Derek by his shirt collar.

"I'm not leaving." He states.

"I'm not asking you to leave. I'm asking you to stay safe." Joey growls.

"A woman!" One of the rebels yell, pointing at River. "Get out of here! It's not safe."

"I can handle myself perfectly, sweetie. Thank you, anyway." The archaeology professor winks and blows a kiss at the boy, who walks away with a pinkish hue on his face. "Joey, Derek, we have to leave!"

"How do you know our names?" Joey questions.

"Spoilers." River curtly replies. "We need to get out of here before the national guard kills us all. Come on."

"Derek wants to stay here, so I guess I'm gonna stay here with him. If you want to, go to the Doctor and tell him we won't be out of here for a while." Joey asserts. River simply smiles and runs her hands through Joey's hair.

"Fine by me. I'm staying here." She says. The gunfire begins and the men of the barricade begin to fall, one by one. Joey and River assist Derek in treating the wounded ("I would help fight, but a blaster would be out of place in this time period, no?" River laughs). The national guard finally bring out their cannons and fire at the barricade, killing a large portion of the rebel forces instantly. While Derek is treating someone near the barricade, Joey spots an enemy rifleman climbing the barricade, pointing his gun at Derek. Joey quickly climbs to the top of the barricade and gets in a scuffle with the rifleman. She pushes him backwards as they fight over his musket, until he accidentally fires the gun – the bullet grazes Joey's cheek. Joey eventually shoves him off the barricade, retaining a few injuries in the process. She leans against the barricade, clutching her right hand and panting.

"Joey!" Derek cries, running up to her. "Are you okay? Did he shoot you?" He grabs Joey's hand – it's covered in blood.

"I must've grabbed his bayonet in the scuffle." Joey murmurs. Derek pulls out a few pieces of cloth and a bottle of whiskey. He cleans the wound as best as his can and wraps her injured hand with the cloth.

"It's pretty deep." He says. The two look at each other for a bit, before River approaches the two of them.

"They're going to storm the barricade any minute now. We'd best get going." She leads the two of them away into an alleyway. Derek and Joey look over their shoulders, only to see their friend Alphonse get shot and killed. They quickly turn away, not willing to see any more of the carnage. River leads them into the apothecary where the Doctor, Victor, and Clara are located. The Doctor breathes a sigh of relief to see River and the two kids alive and safe. He grabs the both of them by the shoulders.

"Don't ever wander off again." He warns. Derek points at Joey.

"She saved my life." He proudly declares. Joey turns her head away in embarrassment.

"Long story. I'll tell you all later." She curtly responds. Victor approaches the two of them. Young lovers, he assumes.

"This experience will serve as inspiration for a future novel, perhaps. Ah, allow me to introduce myself. I am Victor Hugo, a writer." He says. Joey and Derek gaze at him in awe, their eyes widening, their mouths gaping. "What? Was it something I said? No matter. What are your names? Perhaps I can use you two as characters in a story one day."

"I'm, uh, Marius." Derek says.

"C-Cosette." Joey stammers. It is the first French name that comes to her mind. _But if he's using us in a future novel of his, and he hasn't written Les Mis yet, that means – _Joey pieces together the information in her head.

"Well, it looks like it is safe to go outside. Perhaps we will meet again, my friends. Until then, goodbye!" He exits the apothecary. The five time travelers are left in a stunned silence. A small smirk forms on Derek's face and Joey's mouth is agape.

"So… we're the Marius and Cosette in the book?" Derek wheezes.

"Look like." Joey gulps.

"When you're a time traveler, you'll find that this happens a lot." The Doctor explains. They then walk back to the TARDIS, pondering the day's events. River pilots the blue box to its next destination (much to the Doctor's chagrin), as she, the Doctor, and Clara discuss the mysterious coordinates.

"If you didn't send us those coordinates, River, then who did?" Clara wonders.

"No idea. However, perhaps it has something to do with those two. I've got a hunch it does." River responds. The Doctor glances at the two kids, who are sitting in the corner of the control room. Derek is tending to the gash on Joey's hand and the two of them are avidly discussing their involvement in their favorite book. _Joey seems to be pretty animated now. She's softening up, bit by bit._ The Doctor observes, smiling. He focuses his attention on his wife, who is examining the folded up, crumpled set of coordinates that were sent to her. Her brow furrows in concentration and she sneaks glances at Joey and Derek. The Doctor takes a quick trip to the TARDIS library and pulls out a copy of _Les Miserables,_ hoping to perhaps find a clue within the story's pages. He heads back to the control room and opens to a random page to find that one of the quotes has been highlighted.

"River, I think your hunch is right." The Doctor states after reading the quote. He clears his throat and reads the quote aloud. "_'The jostling of young minds against each other has this wonderful attribute, that one can never foresee the spark, nor predict the flash.'_ Page 671." The Doctor approaches the two 'young minds' and hands them the book.

"Thanks, Doctor." They say. The Doctor, River, and Clara continue to ponder on the two young adults and the significance of the mysterious coordinates sent to them. They discuss possible scenarios, but at this point, it's too early to tell. They figure that they must visit all of the coordinates before making a deduction. As the three season time travelers reflect, Joey opens up the book to find another highlighted quote, different from the one the Doctor had read. Derek leans over and reads the quote aloud.

"'_Life, misfortunes, isolation, abandonment, poverty, are battlefields that have their heroes; obscure heroes, sometimes greater than the illustrious heroes.'_ Page 679." He reads. He smiles at Joey, who avoids eye contact with him. "I hope you know that you were a hero today."

"Don't mention it. Really, don't." Joey mutters. Derek shrugs.

"Okay." Silence falls over the both of them.

"Derek, at the barricade last night, I said that you have it all and you replied with 'not exactly.' You then said you'd explain later." Joey breathes.

"So?"

"It's later now." Joey says. Derek sighs and sits himself up straight.

"Alright, Josephine, I'll explain. But be wary; it's a long story."


	3. Getting To Know You

**A/N: Hello! Welcome to the third chapter of my fic. This chapter, we'll be staying in the TARDIS for a bit and fitting a little bit of backstory and character development in. Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to rate and review! Happy reading!**

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_One September morning six years ago, a fourteen year old boy prepares for his first day of high school. He's confident that his high school experience will turn out well – he's likeable, popular with his peers, and an overall charismatic guy. However, he is quite the slacker, much to his parents' chagrin. He's joined the school's football team and has already made a good amount of friends. Life seems good. It's almost time to leave, and before he heads to go to school, his parents pull him aside._

"_Derek," The boy's father warns. "We want you to do well in high school. Don't slack off, no drinking, no smoking, and no drugs. We want you to succeed."_

"_Yeah, Dad, I got it." Derek smirks and rolls his eyes. His father ruffles his wavy chestnut hair and pats him on the shoulder._

"_We mean it. You can be popular and still succeed. Be a good boy for us, okay?" His mom pulls him into a tight embrace. "Don't be cocky."_

"_I'm not cocky."_

"_Of course you're not. Now, go. We love you." His mother calls out after him as he walks out their front door._

"_Love you too!" Derek calls out behind him, as he journeys to his first day of high school. Little does he know that that would be the last time he sees his loving parents alive and well. _

_Derek arrives at his school a few minutes later, meeting up with his friends from football. They chat animatedly about the next four years of their lives, confident that it will turn out well for all of them. Over the course of the day, Derek hangs out with his new friends as well as making new ones in the process. At lunch, he gets invited to a party going on later that night, after football practice. Without a second thought, Derek accepts the invitation and texts his parents, telling them that he's going over a friend's house to "study." _

_After the end of the school day, Derek visits his locker, getting ready for practice. Suddenly, he hears a deafening crash coming from outside the school. He runs outside to check the commotion – there are students and faculty gathering around the site. There has been a car crash at the busy intersection near the school. He manages to push his way through the crowd to the front, where he sees that both cars have been crushed – a tractor trailer had completely annihilated a minivan. Derek takes a closer look at the minivan. Same model as ours, same color too. But no, that can't be - , he panics in his head. He takes a closer look at the crumpled, ruined license plate. To Derek's horror, it's their car. _

_Derek dashes towards the site, but he's stopped by a pair of arms pulling him back. He struggles to free himself of their grip, but to no avail. He screams and cries, "That's my car! My parents are in there! Let me go!" _

"_Derek, there's nothing you can do! Stay back!" The person holding him grunts, fighting the boy. Derek recognizes the voice – it's his football coach and English teacher. _

"_NO!" Derek shrieks as tears stream from his eyes. Through his blurred vision, he can see two bodies being pulled out of the van. The sight makes him thrash about even more. Members of the school's faculty motion for the students to leave the area and go home. His coach lets him go and tries to comfort him by patting his shoulder. Derek sits on the sidewalk curb and cries to himself, not caring if any of his friends see him in this weakened state. His parents are dead; he's an orphan now. _

"And so, on the day of their funeral, I vowed to do whatever I could to make my parents proud. I stopped slacking off and being too cocky. I continued to play football; however, I always put school first. I stayed away from alcohol and drugs and the like. After that day, I lived with my aunt. She's not as well off as my parents were. We lived in a studio apartment – I slept on the couch. When college came around, I decided to study medicine. I worked my ass off in order to get a scholarship or two. When I got a full ride to Griffin, the university in your city, I was ecstatic. I decided to study medicine because my father was a doctor, and I want to follow in his footsteps. I do everything for my parents. I want to succeed in life so I can make them proud. But Josephine, I am a perfectionist. When I fail at something, I get so frustrated and upset and disappointed in myself. And I tend to fail often. So Josephine, that's why I'm not always happy – in fact, I'm disappointed in myself more often than I am happy. That's my story. Hope you liked it." Derek finishes, sighing and tilting his head back. He stands up and ruffles Joey's hair. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

"Derek, I'm so sorry." Joey calls after him. He looks over his shoulder and smirks.

"Me too. We can talk again in the morning." He replies, disappearing into the TARDIS' corridors. For once, he leaves Joey alone. And for once, Joey feels something for this idiot boy. _I think I'll promote him to 'friend' now_, she thinks. Joey turns her attention to the Doctor, River who are busy fiddling with the TARDIS' control panel and the sheet of paper with the coordinates on it. Clara must have gone to bed. Joey approaches the married couple. She finds it hard to believe they're married – the Doctor looks as if he's twelve and River looks older than him. At the same time, however, it's obvious that they are married – they sure do act like a married couple. _Note to self: stop judging people based on their appearances, _Joey scolds herself.

"Need something, Joey?" The Doctor asks, his eyes fixed on the control panel. Joey shakes her head and continues to observe the two seasoned time travelers. The Doctor smiles at the young girl for a bit. "I heard your conversation with Derek. He's quite the character. Why didn't you share anything?"

"It's not nice to eavesdrop, y'know." Joey growls as she folds her arms. The Doctor and River chuckle to themselves. "Stop laughing."

"In over 1000 years of interfering with people's lives, I think I've picked up the habit." The Doctor laughs.

"You're over 1000 years old? You look no older than 30." Joey inquires, deeply confused.

"I'm a Time Lord. We tend to live very long." The Doctor explains. "When I 'die,' my body regenerates. I get a whole new DNA structure, and even my personality changes."

"Woah." Joey breathes. She turns to River. "Are you a Time Lord, too?"

"No. But I do have Time Lord DNA mixed in with my own. Call me human plus. It's a long story; we'll tell it to one day, sweetie." River replies. She gives Joey a warm smile, which makes her blush.

"So you can't regenerate?"

"I used to. I've regenerated twice. Then, I gave the Doctor the rest of my regenerations."

"Why? Now you'll die for good as soon as this body's through."

"It's called marriage, sweetie. I love him. When you're in love with someone, you have to make sacrifices. You give some, you take some." River replies, lacing her hands with the Doctor's. Joey frowns and tilts her head.

"I'm confused."

"You'll understand one day." The Doctor says, ruffling the girl's hair. Joey pouts and folds her arms. _Heh, that's adorable_, The Doctor chuckles in his head. "Haven't you seen it in other people, though? Perhaps your parents?"

"My dad's a drunkard and my mom died when I was a kid. So no, I haven't. I don't have a family anymore." Joey replies. A wave of silence falls over the three of them. _Well, that's a touchy subject. Best stay away from that_, the Doctor thinks. "Life kind of sucks. I hate it."

"You're only eighteen. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Human lives are short, so you better make the best of it." The Doctor states.

"Why can't I be a Time Lord? It sounds so much more fun. You get to travel across space and time and you get to go on adventures and meet all these historical figures and stuff. I just… don't like being human. It's too boring and too hard." Joey whines.

"You don't want to be a Time Lord, honey. You don't."

"Why?" Joey does that oh-so adorable pout and places her hands on her hips.

"Trust him, sweetie. You're better off just being Joey." River taps Joey on the nose.

"I don't like 'just Joey.'" The girl stubbornly replies. River smiles sadly at Joey; she sees a little of herself in the girl. She's stubborn, feisty, and a little too intelligent for her own good. Most of all, she never lets anyone see the damage – River sees that, and she's only just met Joey. They both feel the need to be the strong one in times of crisis. _My little mini me_, River muses. _Don't think that's a good thing._

_"_You will eventually, dear. Now go to sleep."

"Fine." Joey turns on her heels and heads to her room. However, on her way out, she stops herself. "Good night, you two."

"Good night, Joey."

"Good night, sweetie." Joey walks out and when they think she's out of earshot, the Doctor and River let out a synchronous sigh and look at each other. They grin and River pulls out a pair of handcuffs. "Now, sweetie, let's get started."


	4. The Phantom of My Dreams

**A/N: Hey, guys! Here's chapter four. This chapter takes place at the Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolution. I tried to add some historical details, but I took a couple of liberties concerning the geography of the land. Hope you guys don't mind. Happy reading, and don't forget to follow and review!**

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Joey retreats to her designated room in the TARDIS. The blue box, to her surprise, has provided her a room fit to her tastes and interests. The room is painted a deep red, her favorite color. Next to Joey's bed, there's a bookshelf filled with dozens upon dozens of sheet music and books on classical music. There's also a closet filled with musical instruments and a baby grand in the opposite corner. Joey plays a scale on the piano. Perfectly tuned, too, she observes. She cracks open her door to see if anyone's in the hallway outside her room; the coast is clear. She picks a folder of sheet music from the bookshelf labeled "Chopin." _Frederic, my friend, it's been too long. Good to see you._ Joey eagerly sits at the baby grand and picks a random song out of the folder, the heading of the song reading: "Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2." _Ah, one of my favorites._ Joey smiles to herself and begins to play the song. She really doesn't need the sheet music - she's got this piece memorized down to every last chord and trill. Joey's confident that no one can hear her playing. After all, she's within the confines of her own room. However, she is completely unaware that the TARDIS decides to project her playing outside of her room, echoing through the corridors all the way to the control room. Derek and Clara stay fast asleep; however, the Doctor and River can hear her loud and clear.

"You hear that? Where's it coming from?" The Doctor wonders. Sexy projects a video on the control panel's monitor - it's Joey! "Well, well, well. You learn something every day."

"Should we go see her?" River asks.

"I don't think she'd appreciate us barging in on her. Remember, she hides everything about herself my dear."

"Not unlike someone I know." River replies. The Doctor frowns.

"I don't hide everything. Maybe most things."

"Of course you don't, sweetie."

After about fifteen minutes of playing various pieces, Joey decides to get some shuteye. Apparently, they were to visit the Revolutionary War in the morning - the Battle of Monmouth, to be exact. What could happen there? They were just following a set of coordinates. For all they know, it could be a trap. _Stay on your toes, Joey,_ she reminds herself. Joey lies in bed and drifts off to sleep, having a strange dream involving the day's events at Paris. She's lost in a rioting crowd, and a hooded figure gets a little bit too close for comfort. The hooded figure whispers, "Prepare for the invasion."

"Prepare? For what invasion?" Joey asks, grabbing the stranger's shoulder as they attempt to walk away. The stranger shrugs her off and turns to face her. Joey still can't see their face, but she can guess that they're female. Is it Clara or River? Not likely. The voice doesn't match up. The crowd disappears to the barricades. Now only Joey and the stranger are left, standing in the middle of the deserted town square. The stranger turns around with a click of their heels and flees into the alleyways of Paris, with Joey chasing after them. Their wild goose chase leads them through the side streets and somehow into the sewers. Joey pursues the stranger through the rancid, dark tunnels under Paris, until they emerge into the streets, covered in sewage. Joey manages to catch up to her target and grabs her by the collar.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" She shrieks.

"The eye." The figure replies, pushing Joey off of her with ease. She's strong - stronger than me! Impressive.

"The what?" Joey asks. The stranger begins to take off her hood, but just then, Joey wakes up.

She sits up in bed, running her hands through her messy, shoulder length hair. Did that actually happen in Paris? I don't remember a thing, she wonders. She runs through the dream in her head, raking her memories of Paris for the dream's events. _Nothing rings a bell. Don't get too ahead of yourself, Joey. It was just a dream,_ she reminds herself. But something at the back of her mind gnaws at her thoughts; something tells her that her dream was more than just a dream. Joey quickly heads to the control room in her pajamas and sees that the Doctor, River, Derek, and Clara are already awake, waiting for her.

"Morning, Josephine." Derek greets. He inspects her face a little bit. "You alright? You look a little bit shaken. You're pale."

"I'm fine. Just had a... weird dream." Joey replies, pulling herself away. Derek shrugs and takes her injured, bandaged hand.

"I gotta re-bandage your hand before we go today. Take it easy out there, okay?" A pause.

"Fine." Joey sighs. Derek smirks and joins the Doctor's side. "So what's the plan today, Doc?"

"Ah, yes! The plan for today! The plan... the plan... We don't have one." The Doctor replies. Silence fills the room as Joey and Derek stare at him in disbelief.

"You mean we're going into a war zone with no idea as to what we're doing?" Joey asks.

"Get used to it." River whispers in her ear. Joey frowns and decides to just go along with the Doctor for now. She's too busy trying to interpret her dream; it would be best to save her insults for later. She crosses over to Derek, who's waiting with some fresh bandages and disinfectant. He gently takes Joey's hand into his and carefully unwraps the old bandages, making sure not to hurt her. He examines the cut cautiously, applies disinfectant, and wraps her hand with new bandages.

"It's healing nicely. Keep it nice and disinfected and don't aggravate it. And Joey?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't cross dress this time." Derek takes Joey's uninjured hand and squeezes it. "I can take care of myself perfectly."

"Huh. I'll try not to." Joey replies, unable to stop herself from grinning a little bit. Derek chuckles and retreats to his room, leaving Joey still wearing a stupid, crooked grin on her face. She catches the Doctor, Clara, and River staring at her with similar stupid grins on their faces, and she quickly straightens up and clears her throat. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." The Doctor says, bouncing on his heels and smirking.

Joey rolls her eyes and runs to her room. She digs through the closet the TARDIS had graciously provided for her for something that would be acceptable for 18th century women, with little luck. _Can't I just wear shorts and a t-shirt? Dresses are so uncomfortable. But no, "no cross dressing today," Derek said. He's such an asshole. Why am I even listening to him? Christ, I'm getting soft for him. This needs to end immediately. But he's just so - _Her inner turmoil is interrupted by a knocking at her door. Joey opens the door to see that it's River holding a dress for her and smiling.

"You forgot your outfit." The older woman says.

"Yeah, I figured." Joey mutters. River enters Joey's room and looks around.

"She gave you a nice place here." River observes.

"'She?' Who's 'she?'" Joey asks.

"The TARDIS, of course."

"It has a gender?"

"Long story." River replies curtly. Annoyed by the woman's lack of explanation, Joey frowns and pouts, making River laugh. This annoys Joey further, but she contains her frustration just barely. "Working on our temper, now, are we?"

"Humph." Joey huffs in reply. There's a moment of silence. "River?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Why do you people care about me so much? There's nothing special about me. I'm nobody." A pause. River takes the younger girl's shoulders and looks her straight in the eye. Joey can tell that there's a fire behind those green pupils of River's; there's a passion hidden within this woman, the Doctor's wife.

"Listen to me, Josephine." River growls. _Oh snap, she's using my full name..._ "You are not a 'nobody.' Don't ever believe otherwise. We care about you because you have so much potential - potential to do great things. I don't know how your life was before the Doctor and Clara picked you up, but it's been two days and you've already grown so much. We care about you so much. You said you don't have a family anymore, yes?"

"Yes." Joey replies. _Dammit, Joey, don't cry. Don't cry. She better not say something wishy washy like "We're your family now."_

"If you want, we could be your family now." River says. _Shit._

"I'll, uh, think about it." Joey manages to croak. _C'mon Joey, change the subject_. "Hey, River? I have a question."

"What is it?"

"What exactly were you and the Doctor doing last night?" Joey winks and manages to put on her best smirk. River lets out a laugh and ruffles Joey's hair.

"I'll tell you when you're older. Let's just say I treated the Doctor last night." She replies. Joey snickers at the thought of the Doctor doing anything remotely sexual. He acts as if he's two! Her repressed snickers turn into giggles, and her giggles turn into laughter. River joins in, and the two of them stand there for a while giggling like two schoolgirls.

"You know what, River?" Joey says, after she has controlled her laughter.

"What?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I like you. You're alright."

"I'm glad you feel that way, sweetie."

"Yeah..." Joey sighs. _This River lady, she kind of reminds me of Mom - No, no, NO, don't say that, Joey. These people aren't your family. You've only just met them._

"I'm going to leave. Be a good girl for me, okay, sweetie?" River says sweetly. _Funny, Mom used to say that all the time._

"Okay, Mom." Joey absently replies. _Dammit! DAMMIT!_

"What did you say?" River gasps.

"What? I didn't say anything. Um, I'm gonna change now, River, have a nice day! I'll see you outside!" Joey talks as quickly as she can and nudges River out the door. She sighs and leans against the door, unaware that River is doing the same thing on the other side. "You're getting soft." Joey mumbles under her breath. She then changes into the dress River had provided her, to Joey's own dismay. The dress is white and obnoxiously puffy, and it's unbearably tight near the torso area. It's itchy and hot, and she hasn't even gone outside yet. _This is going to be miserable,_ Joey groans in her head. She exits her room and heads to the control room with a frown and a pout on he face. She steps in the control room, firmly planting her feet on the ground and folding her arms.

"I hate dressing up." She grumbles, earning from a laugh from the rest of the TARDIS crew. Joey shoots them a sharp glare, silencing the other time travelers quickly. She scratches at one of the many itchy parts of her body at the moment, and her temper rises with every itch. River and Clara are dressed similarly, yet they do not seem to be bothered - as if they've done this multiple times before. The Doctor and Derek are dressed in Continental Army uniforms. They don't seem to be very comfortable either. "The average temperature at the Battle of Monmouth averaged at 100 degrees. Do we absolutely have to wear these outfits?"

"Quite the history buff, are we now?" Clara remarks.

"Well...yeah." Joey blushes. She snaps back to attention and clears her throat. "So anyway, have we figured out a plan yet?"

"Sort of. You, River, and Clara are going to do some reconnaissance in a nearby town. Search for clues and strange happenings. Derek and I..." The Doctor gulps. "We're going to the battlefield with the Americans."

"Are you sure you can handle that?" River asks, placing a hand of her husband's shoulder.

"Yeah... I'm fine. I just don't like guns. Or war, for that matter."

"You like guns when _I'm_ holding one." River purrs,

"I like the woman holding the gun, not the gun itself." The Doctor seductively growls in reply, making Joey, Derek, and Clara groan in disgust.

"Can we save the flirting for later? We kind of have a task to do today." Derek moans.

"Says you, Mr. Flirt.'" Clara says, smiling and nudging Derek on the shoulder. Derek opens his mouth to retort, but can't come up with a backlash. He keeps his mouth shut.

"Anyway, enough with the small talk. Shall we go?" The Doctor clears his throat. His fellow time travelers compose themselves and nod. They step out of the TARDIS to find that they are in a forest of some sort. In one direction is Washington's army and in the other is a nearby town. The men and women exchange goodbyes and "be careful"s to each other and part ways. Joey doesn't want to admit it, but she's very worried for the Doctor and Derek. What were they thinking, going into a war zone without having the faintest idea as to even fire a gun? She had made sure that they were well prepared for the hot weather, making sure that they had full canteens of water on their person. _Since when am I actually worried for other people?_ Joey wonders. _Whatever happened to "it's a dog eat dog world?" Surely I haven't given up my life's mantra in a matter of two days_. As she's lost in thought, River and Clara walk ahead, leaving her behind a little bit.

"Come on, Joey, let's go!" Clara calls.

"Coming!" Joey replies, looking behind her shoulder. She could still see Derek and the Doctor walking away in the distance, as their figures get farther and farther away. _Be safe, you idiots._ Joey runs up to join River and Clara as they approach the small New Jersey town in the distance. As they enter the town, they can sense a strong Patriot presence there. Joey advises the two older women to put on their best American accents - the townspeople could mistake them for British spies and the outcome would have been very, very bad. Joey's proving to be a great asset to the team. _I'm impressed._ Clara muses. _Perhaps this arrogant, disgruntled girl is growing into something else._

It's a very small town, and that makes investigation easier. The three women search for strange happenings (maybe alien) or perhaps a clue of some sort. They interview a few of the townspeople. Apparently, there's a phantom of some sort who wanders the town. It doesn't do anything nor does it bother anyone; it just wanders. The superstitious citizens of the tightly knit New Jersey town are growing anxious with every night it appears - they believe that one day, it's going to do something terrible unless they drive the ghost out of the town. Apparently, the phantom is always hooded and never says a word. Unlike traditional ghosts, the phantom also appears at daytime, too, usually in secluded, hidden places like alleyways. _It can't be the hooded figure from my dream. It's just a coincidence. Or maybe it's too much of a coincidence..._ Joey contemplates_. Perhaps that weird dream last night really did mean something._

"Joey, are you okay? You seem dazed." River asks. Joey blinks and tears herself away from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. C'mon, let's go find out more about this phantom." Joey replies.

Meanwhile, Derek and the Doctor manage to find the Continental Army - well, at least part of it. They aren't with the main army; that they can tell. General Washington is nowhere in sight. The Doctor figures that they've joined up with another section of the army. From what Derek and the Doctor have heard, they're going to try and attack the rear guard of the British army, in order to make the battle easier for Washington's troops. They pass themselves off as medical doctors, tending to the wounded. Thankfully, no one seems to think anything of it. They spot the officers having a meeting with the general about the day's plans, the meeting looking rushed and disorganized.

"Uh oh. This can't end well." Derek gulps.

"Let me see who the general is..." The Doctor takes a closer look. "Uh oh..."

"What is it?" Derek asks.

"See the general? That's General Charles Lee."

"Wait, I've heard the name before - I think in this one video game I've played. I'm not too good at history, but wasn't he that one general who wanted Washington's job?"

"That's him." The Doctor replies. "He doesn't have the brightest military mind. In fact, he's going to get fired later on. This army's going to get routed and we're going to join up with Washington later."

"Oy vey." Derek groans. "Well, I guess we've got a long day ahead of us." The two men head to join their fellow soldiers, preparing for their impending attack. They've supplied themselves with medical supplies: bandages and whiskey, not unlike Derek's endeavors at Paris. "Do all of the coordinates lead to times where medicine sucked? I'm tired of using whiskey for disinfectant and being handed a musket with no idea as to how to use it."

"No. They seem to lead to different points in history. Our destinations have two things in common: the themes of revolution and war. Our next stop after this is World War II. Frankly, something about these coordinates leads to something ominous, and I don't like where we're heading. Not a big fan of war in general. I have a... bad history with war." The Doctor replies, shifting uncomfortably. The two of them sit on a nearby tree trunk and drink some water. The hot weather is becoming unbearable, and in their wool uniforms, the heat is sweltering. They constantly remind themselves of the need to stay hydrated and they manage to remain relatively healthy throughout the day. Eventually, the army marches to the point where they're supposed to attack the British rear guard. Even on the way there, Derek and the Doctor have to treat some of the troops for heat stroke.

The attack, as expected by the Doctor and Derek, does not go well. Lee and the troops attempt to retreat, but the British rout them. The men flee and the Cornwallis' troops are hot on their tail. Lee's forces eventually meet up with Washington, who reprimands Lee and sends him to the rear. Washington manages to rally Derek and the Doctor's army and positions some of his troops so that they can fight off Cornwallis' forces in the west.

"Being smack dab in the middle of history itself -" Derek tries to say, but is interrupted by the fires of muskets and cannons. After the firing has ceased for a bit and the men reload their weapons, he finishes his sentence. "- is pretty surreal. You say you experience this on a regular basis?"

"Yes." The Doctor answers, looking for wounded soldiers the two of them could treat. "Just another day in the life of a time traveler." They drag a couple of soldiers to a hopefully safe place under some trees and treat their heat stroke and/or bullet wounds. There's a small creek nearby, so they use water from there to treat the heat stroke victims. The Doctor avoids using his sonic screwdriver to scan the victims - he's learned time and time again that many people in the 18th century don't respond well to alien technology. They're quite the superstitious bunch. The two men manage to treat a substantial amount of soldiers, and have a short moment to themselves to catch their breath and talk to each other.

"For not having any ice packs, proper disinfectant or any other modern medical amenities, I say, we're doing well, Doc." Derek proudly states as he takes a swig of water from his canteen. "Are you actually a medical doctor?"

"No, but I have some medical training." The Doctor replies, also drinking some of his water.

"Then why are you called, 'the Doctor?'"

"You're not allowed to know my true name. It's an alias." The Doctor answers.

"Why not? Is your name that embarrassing? Is it 'Leslie' or something?" Derek asks. The Doctor chuckles and pats the boy on the back.

"No. It's a long story. Basically, there are very, very few people in this universe who know my true name. River is one of them, since she's my wife. Time Lords tell their spouses their true name at their wedding. It's part of the ceremony."

"What exactly is a Time Lord? What was your wedding like? Was it in the TARDIS?"

"My, my. Full of questions, are we?" The Doctor laughs. Their conversation is interrupted by cannons firing dangerously close to the two time travelers. "I'll explain everything after we take care of everyone here. Come on, we have a job to do, Derek."

The day drags on for Clara, River, and Joey, and for hours, they aren't getting any more leads on the mysterious phantom haunting the small town. The townspeople are too fearful of the so-called "ghost" to confront it or to even go near it. Hot and exhausted, the three women decide to rest on a bench in the center of town and gather their thoughts.

"So the phantom can appear in the daytime. I'm guessing that this 'ghost' isn't a ghost at all." Clara says. "Something alien, as usual?"

"Possibly." River replies. She's writing about the day's events so far in a little blue diary, making sure to capture all the details.

"'As usual?'" Joey asks nervously. "If it really is an 'alien,' do you think it's friendly? Does it come in peace?"

"Probably, seeing as it hasn't attacked anyone yet." Clara answers. She sits pondering, resting her head on her hand. Joey unconsciously mirrors her pose, resulting in a laugh from River. "The townspeople have described it with a human figure, so that rules out multiple species of aliens. Could it be a certain Silurian we know? No, it's probably not Vastra - she'd be with Jenny and Strax. Hmm..."

"We have quite the mystery to solve. But us ladies can crack this puzzle, am I right?" River says as she finishes her current diary entry for now. Joey stares into the distance, thinking about her dream. _Should I tell them about my dream? It might be just a coincidence, though. I don't want them to think I'm crazy. What the hell - we time travel in a blue police box. If anything, we're all crazy here. _

"Um, River? Clara?" Joey timidly squeaks.

"What is it, sweetie?' River asks.

"I had a dream last night, and I think it connects to our mystery here." Joey says. She explains the dream in full detail, remembering everything she could - from the phantom's appearance to what it said to her. Together, the ladies of the TARDIS piece together the new information and relate it to their current situation.

"I think there's a definite connection. You say it didn't happen in Paris in real life?" Clara asks. Joey nods her head in reply. "Well, maybe it did. Maybe it did happen, but you don't remember it."

"I think I would remember something like that." Joey states.

"You would think so, wouldn't you? But you said you woke up in the middle of the encounter in your dream. So maybe, as the stranger lifted her hood, she did something to your memory..."

"...But the memory remained in your subconscious, so that's why you dreamed about it." River continued for Clara.

"You guys are smart. I would've never figured that out." Joey observes in amazement. _They have deduction skills to rival Sherlock Holmes himself. And where does that put me? Watson? _

"The Doctor only takes the clever ones." River states. "You're smart in a different way, sweetie." She rubs the top of Joey's head sweetly.

"Hmph. Let's go hunting for this phantom. I need some answers from this so-called 'ghost.'" Joey runs off, leaving Clara and River to attempt to catch up to her, but to no avail - Joey's too fast. _Impressive, for 100 degree weather and for wearing a big, puffy dress,_ Clara remarks to herself.

"Don't wander too far! Stay safe!" River calls after the girl. Joey looks over her shoulder and flashes her fellow time travelers a thumbs up, disappearing into an alleyway. River sighs as Clara places a hand on her shoulder. Since Clara had started traveling with the Doctor, the two women have become very close, despite Clara's initial flirtiness with River's own husband. They had their differences at first, but they have grown to share a mutual respect for each other. After all a friend of the Doctor's is a friend of River's, and River is grateful to Clara for bringing the Doctor out of his post-Pond depression.

"River, what's going on? You're treating this girl as if she's your daughter, and you've only just met her." Clara observes. River simply smiles at her colleague.

"Long story." She replies. There's a hint of sadness in her voice, but Clara decides to ignore it. For now, it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Joey runs through the streets of the town, in hopes of finding the mysterious phantom. If this is truly the phantom of her dream, they will have the answers Joey seeks. After running for a while, she stops to catch her breath in an alleyway, grabbing her knees and panting. Running around in this weather was not a good idea, she chides herself. Suddenly, Joey hears footsteps coming from the end of the alleyway. She lifts her head to see it's the phantom. She runs after it, but to her surprise, it doesn't run away. Rather, it's waiting for her to come to it.

"What do you want with me? Huh?!" Joey growls. No reply. "Answer me!"

"Go find Derek. He's about to be in serious trouble." The phantom says. Again, the voice is familiar and feminine, but Joey can't place her finger on who it belongs to.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Just go. You'll thank me later." The phantom hisses. She begins to walk away, and disappears in a puff of smoke. _Wh-What is going on?!_ Joey finds that the stranger left behind a satchel in her wake. Inside the bag, there's a Continental Army uniform. The stranger had conveniently left Joey a disguise. The uniform's a bit tattered, and there are patches sewn all over it, but it will have to do.

"Sorry, Derek, but I'm going to have to cross dress again. Not my fault your ass needs saving."

On the battlefield, Derek and the Doctor are starting to get overwhelmed by the amount of people they have to treat. From heat stroke to blown off limbs, the stress is becoming unbearable. Though they aren't able to save most of the men they treat, they are proud of themselves for saving at least some lives. The Doctor tells Derek stories of his travels throughout the day, making their task a little bit more tolerable.

"So you got married on top of a pyramid to save time from collapsing? Talk about a wedding." Derek remarks as he fans one of their patients dying of heat stroke. The men are too exhausted to hear Derek and the Doctor's conversation. They're barely conscious, after all.

"Yes. It was quite the event." The Doctor replies. He scans the nearby area. _No nearby bodies. Looks like we've earned ourselves a break._ Derek leans against a tree and takes a much need gulp of water.

"So did you marry River just for the sake of saving time? Or do you actually love her?" Derek asks curiously.

"What? Of course I love River. But sometimes..." The Doctor pauses.

"'But sometimes' what?" Derek presses. The Doctor sighs.

"Sometimes I think - I know - she loves me more than I love her. Remember, our relationship is back to front. Her past is my future, and vice versa. Our timelines have been lining up recently, so that's good. I just want to let her know that I love her too, and I want my love for her to equal her love for me. Make sense?"

"Wow. That's tough. I don't know what to say." Derek responds. He sighs and stares into the distance.

"What about you? What's going on in the love life of Derek Matthews?"

"Not much. Just Joey." Derek breathes.

"Do mind if I ask something, Derek?" The Doctor asks.

"Not at all, Doc. You've been telling me your life story; might as well tell mine." Derek replies.

"Why do you like her?" Derek pauses for a moment. _Why do I like her? She keeps pushing me away, but there's something that pulls me back to her every time. It's a vicious cycle. Well, better list everything to start with. Here goes nothing._

"Hm. I love her strength, her intelligence, and her talent for music. I love her eyes, her flowing hair, and her smile. She rarely smiles, but I think it's the most beautiful thing in the universe. She has so much potential to do great things, and I want to help her realize that. She's so much more valuable than she thinks she is, and I want her to know that. I know she's lived a hard life, but I have too. I want to show that she can move on from that and that she can do great things with her life, even if she didn't grow up in the best of circumstances. I want to protect her from anything that will ever try to hurt her, including her father. I'll do anything to keep her safe. I guess..." Derek stops for a moment to sigh and look at the Doctor straight in the eye. "I love her."

"That's tough, kiddo." The Doctor replies. An awkward silence falls between the two men as they stare off into the distance, observing the battlefield. They spot a couple of bodies nearby - they're close, but they're right in the middle of the gunfire. Without a second thought, Derek sprints into the battlefield, the Doctor unable to stop him. "Derek, wait! You're going to get killed!" he cries.

"I'll be quick, Doc! Don't worry about me!" Derek calls back. The firing has ceased for now because the soldiers have to reload, but that won't last for long. He'll have to take the body and run. Derek runs up to the man, and checks his pulse - he's still alive, but barely. He's not sweating, but he has a heightened pulse. Yet another case of heat stroke, Derek figures. He attempts to sling the man over his shoulder, but he's too heavy. _This is what I get for not working out in a while,_ he gripes. He takes the man by the ankles and drags him quickly, running as fast as he can. The soldiers from both sides ready their guns and Derek isn't even halfway there. He sees the Doctor frantically calling for him to drop the patient and get out of there, but he won't have it. He refuses to abandon a person in need. He hears the cocks of rifles and time is quickly running out.

"Ready..." A British officer calls. Derek doesn't hear this, and continues to run.

"DEREK! GET OUT OF THERE! DROP HIM AND RUN!" The Doctor screams. He's about to run onto the battlefield to get Derek, but then the British officer commands his troops to fire. He can't see anything within the heavy gunfire smoke, but Derek is nowhere in sight. "No..." He gasps in defeat. The smoke clears to see that Derek lying on the ground, perfectly safe, and that someone in a Continental Army uniform is crouched over him. Derek's patient has taken a gunshot wound to the forehead; he's dead. _If it's not the patient who saved Derek, then who did?_ The Doctor wonders. Derek's savior clutches his side - he's hit. The soldier's hat falls off to reveal a head of strangely familiar messy, shoulder length hair. _No... That can't be!_

"Joey...?" Derek gasps. Tears flow out of the girl's eyes and she chokes out a sob in pain.

"That's me." She manages to croak. She coughs up some blood, much to Derek's horror.

"Oh God... You got shot in the lungs, didn't you? We have to get you out of here right away. Oh God, oh fuck, oh fuck..." Derek sobs. He gathers the strength to carry Joey bridal style and run towards the Doctor. Over Derek's shoulder, Joey spots a cannon aimed right for them.

"Derek... cannon." Joey manages to wheeze. Derek looks over his shoulder and sprints faster. _Thank God for those years of being put on running back... Remind me to thank Coach._

"I'll get us out of here, don't worry." He gently kisses Joey's forehead as he runs. He hears the Doctor yell, "DEREK!" as he holds his hand out. However, the cannon fires and the ground explodes directly behind Derek and Joey. They're both knocked to the ground and everything goes black.


End file.
